Dozens of footballers and referees arrested amid Turkish soccer betting scandal probe | EUROtoday

A widespread betting scandal has rocked Turkish soccer, resulting in the issuance of arrest warrants for dozens of gamers and officers in Istanbul on Friday.

Early morning police raids noticed outstanding figures, together with Fenerbahce’s Mert Hakan Yandas and nationwide champions Galatasaray’s Metehan Baltaci, taken into custody.

This newest improvement stems from an in depth investigation launched by the Turkish Football Federation in October, initially concentrating on greater than 150 referees in skilled leagues for allegedly betting on soccer matches.

The probe quickly expanded its scope to embody gamers, directors, TV commentators, and different figures throughout the sport. Last month, this led to non permanent bans for over 100 skilled gamers, together with 25 from the top-tier league.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed warrants for 46 suspects have been issued on Friday, with 35 already detained.

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Among these apprehended are the chair of Ankaraspor, Antalyaspor’s vice-chair, and Adana Demirspor’s former chair. News company DHA additionally reported the arrests of former referee and commentator Ahmet Cakar, alongside present referee Zorbay Kucuk.

In an announcement, prosecutors stated Baltaci, who beforehand performed for nationwide youth sides, had been discovered to have positioned bets on his personal group’s video games. Yandas, in the meantime, allegedly positioned his bets by way of another person.

Seven folks, together with Cakar and Kucuk, have been arrested after “suspicious financial transactions” have been discovered of their financial institution accounts.

All the suspects have been detained beneath a regulation to forestall dysfunction in sport, which criminalises the manipulation of sports activities competitions and carries a sentence of 1 to 3 years’ imprisonment.

This sentence may be elevated if the offence is linked to betting markets, includes officers, or impacts skilled leagues.

Under world and European soccer laws, gamers, referees, and membership officers are strictly prohibited from betting on video games at any stage.

The Turkish Football Federation has vowed to scrub up the game, with president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu stating his dedication to guard it from “scandal, decay and corrupt relationships.”